Before the championship, Coleman had never swum an individual long course final.
Sunday’s 50-meter free will be her second in three days, following her seventh-place finish in the 100-meter free on Friday.
But she was not quite satisfied with her semi-final performance on the track next to her friend Sarah Sjöström, who broke the world record.
— I was very slow from the podium and lost myself in my swimming. But there weren’t really fast times in the final, the most important thing was that I took a place, says Coleman, who recorded 24.63, twelve hundredths slower than in the trials.
It was enough for the sixth time.
Coleman was not surprised by Sjöström’s rocket swimming.
— I felt it and I know she has longed for this. I have seen her do very good things in training, says Coleman.
Sophie Hansson had pole-out in the semifinals of the 50-meter breaststroke and ended up just outside the final field in ninth place.
Her 30.40 was seven hundredths too slow.
Ruta Meilutyte touched Italian Benedetta Pilato’s world record of 29.30. Pilato swam in the same heat and went to the final with fourth time, 30.09.